Don’t Have a “Poor” Attitude

In this article I want to consider the attitude we associate with the law of true wealth. This is the law that reads like this: real prosperity is measured as much by how we use our money as it is by how much we have.

Our lives are determined by our attitudes, our attitudes being our habits of thought. Our habitual thoughts about money are among those that affect our lives the most. And among our money thoughts, our concepts of wealth, are among the most formative.

If being poor is more of an attitude than a real condition, and it is, then so is wealth. If I can choose to think of myself as poor, then I can just as easily choose to think of myself as rich. I don't have to have a million dollars in the bank to feel rich.

However, to be a realist—not just someone living in a dream world—I do need to have enough available money to do the things I consider important in life. But once I have escaped the clutches of debt or any other form of unwanted restriction due to financial obligations, and once I can generate enough income to live the kind of life I want, then I have every right to feel wealthy.

Once again I am going to suggest an affirmation. Try saying aloud to yourself, "I am wealthy." How does it feel?

If you have never felt rich or if your material circumstances are not the greatest right now you may have a difficult time saying it. But would you have the same trouble if you were to say, "I am poor?"

No matter how strange it may sound or feel, I encourage you to use the positive affirmation often, "I am wealthy." The reason people feel poor rather than rich is that they compare themselves to others. But they always look at the few living in the mansions rather than the millions living in refugee camps. Better to look at the reality of our personal situation than to compare ourselves to anyone else.

Once you begin to feel like a wealthy person, not a poor one, your whole life will change. You will begin to act differently and live differently in many ways. But mostly, you will begin to think differently. You will make better financial decisions and you will begin to attract more money to your life. You will also begin to do better things with your money.

Look around at the realities of your life. Choose to think about your situation on its own, not in comparison to others. No matter how fine a house or car most people have, they tend to look at others, always someone richer, and conclude that they are less than adequate. How irrational.

Instead, look at all the things you have and marvel at the extent of it all. Almost all of us in America have such unimaginable wealth when compared to so many millions of people around the world that I find it incredible to hear so many people complain of their poor state in life.

Remember that true wealth is more than money. Think about your family, your friends, your business relationships. Think about your health, your ability to think and learn. Think about your living conditions, your soft bed, the good food you eat daily. Think about the beauty of life all around you, the flowers, the sunsets, the marvels of technology that work to your advantage—like the computer access that brings the information in this project to you.

Even if there are areas where your circumstances are not the best, there are others that are terrific. Considering all of these help to make you feel like a wealthy person, too. That’s one reason for learning to give to help others very early on. It helps us see that most often we are actually more fortunate than we think.

And very important. Remember that you can begin to feel any positive attitude as soon as it is in the making. You don't have to wait until it is completely fulfilled to experience it.

If you have a clear goal of establishing passive income that will support you adequately to live a life that is meaningful to you. If you are making progress daily toward attaining that goal. Then you can start to feel the reality of your wealth now, even as it is just beginning to become a full reality.

So, say it again. And again. "I am wealthy." And the truth is, for most of us we really are—even now.